Malaysia Has Them All! Come Visit Us In 2014 (Vision KL) - The Sungei Lembing Museum

Malaysia is promoted globally as being “Truly Asia”. This is rightly so as nowhere in the world is anyone bound to see three major races - Malays, Chinese and Indians - living side by side, with identities and cultural practices very much intact; this is not to mention the identities and cultural practices of other indigenous and minority groups living in the country. And, as multicultural as its races, is Malaysia’s colonial experiences, which have been just as colourful and eventful. First colonised by the Portuguese (from 1511 to 1641), then the Dutch (1641-1791), and then the British (1791 to 1957), these have only served to produce a plethora of cultural and historical offerings embedded throughout the country for posterity to relish. This being Visit Malaysia Year 2014, let’s take a look at some of them on our journey today.

The Sungai Lembing Museum

If ever you head to the East Coast town of Kuantan for the beautiful Teluk Chempedak and Batu Hitam beaches, stop by and visit the Sungai Lembing Museum where the town’s mining past has been archived.

An exhibit at the Museum 

Also known as the El Dorado of the East, Sungal Lembing which is located about 45 km from Kuantan, was once the world’s greatest source of tin ore. Its glory days spanning almost a hundred years, the mine was once the longest and the deepest in the world with a tunnel length of 322 km and a depth of 1,500 feet or 140 storeys high.

An old picture of a miner and his supervisor 

Today, it is still regarded as the largest mine in the world. Sungai Lembing became one of the richest towns in Malaya and was the crowning glory of the east coast state of Pahang because of its wealth of tin ore. Its history began in 1888 when the Sultan of Pahang gave Pahang Corporation Limited, a British company, an 80-year mining concession. However, the company was liquidated in 1906 and subsequently, mining rights were given to the Pahang Consolidated Company Limited (PCCL), another British company. Producing more than 2,000 tons of tin concentrates annually after the war, from 1945 to 1977, the mine’s last year of operations in 1986 saw only 900 tons of tin produced. 

An old picture of visitors hitching a ride at the mine 

With lowering tin prices, high operational costs and lower yields, many mines were forced to close and the Sungai Lembing mine was not spared. 

The reputation of the Sungai Lembing mine precedes it. Not too long ago, a blogger whose father was a miner at Sungai Lembing in the 70’s was at the Immigration Counter in the United Kingdom. The officer asked the blogger where in Pahang she was born. The woman replied, “Sungai Lembing”. The officer smiled and said, “Tin mine town!’’, much to her amazement! British newspapers have covered the mine from time to time. Tin from Malaya was said to have saved Britain from bankruptcy after World War II. Even the Los Angeles Times carried a story on November 1, 1993 on the former glory of the Sungai Lembing mine. A book entitled Refugee from the Japanese, written by Dorothy Thatcher and published in 1959, details how Nona Baker and her brother Vincent, who was General Manager of the PCCL, fled to the hills and sought refuge from the Communists who were fighting the Japanese occupation of Malaya. The book describes how Vincent Baker and other mine managers hid the mine’s stocks, switched off its water pumps and flooded the tunnels to deny Japanese troops access to tin.

Pre- World War II Sungai Lembing 

Till today, workers’ quarters, clubhouses, a swimming pool and a variety of equipment can still be found intact at Sungai Lembing. The PCCL had provided electricity, built roads, schools, stores and even a hospital for the convenience of the miners and their families. A movie theatre showing English, Malay and Hindi movies was also added to the town. It was reported that even a duty free shop with luxury items from brands like Clarks and Polo, shipped directly from London and offered at affordable prices, were made available to the miners and their families. It seemed that it paid to be a miner in Sungai Lembing! 

Visitors at the Museum

The Sungai Lembing Museum is housed at the home of the last General Manager of the PCCL. It displays historical artefacts related to the tin mining industry such as locomotives, mining equipment, clothing and documents so that you get a glimpse in the day of a miner at work.

Visitors taking a ride into a restored mine shaft

In addition, the Kuantan Municipal Council has also restored a section of a mine shaft that enables visitors to explore the mine by riding a trolley car into the tunnel and then continuing by foot. 

What visitors will see and experience at the Museum 

Not far from the mine, after about 45 minutes of trekking, is the renowned Panorama Hill where visitors can enjoy a spellbinding view of a sunrise. Nearby is the Rainbow Waterfall where, every morning, without fail, a rainbow can be seen over the gushing waters, smiling a promise to all who see it. Downhill, enjoy a bowl of Sungai Lembing’s famous handmade noodles. Go ahead, why not make a day of it at this once thriving jewel in Pahang’s Crown!

For more information on the Melaka sites including fares call:
Tourism Information Centre: 06-283-3304/6230
Tourism Malaysia Melaka: 06-288-3304/1549/3785
Tourism Promotion Division: 06-232-8402 

For more information on Kellie’s Castle including tour schedules and fares:
Call: 05-365-3381 

For more information on the Sungai Lembing Museum and fares:
Call: 019-908-3238/ 09- 541-1480 or Email: zatilothman@gmail.com